Battery plate grid moulding machines



July 26, 1955 J. s. PINCOTT 2,713,704

BATTERY PLATE GRID MOULDING MACHINES Filed Oct. 8, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet l July 26, 1955 J. 5. PINCOTT BATTERY PLATE GRID MOULDING MACHINES 4 SheetsSheet 2 Filed Oct. 8, 1951 July 26, 1955 J. s. PINCOTT 2,713,704-

BATTERY PLATE GRID MOULDING MACHINES Filed 001;. 8, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 lNJ/EJY'MQ JHMES 6. pl/VCOTT July 26, 1955 J. s. PlNCOTT 2,713,704

BATTERY PLATE GRID MOULDING MACHINES Filed Oct. 8, 1951 4 Sheets-Shet 4 Jfi/HES 5. /Ncov-T United States Patent BATTERY PLATE GRID MOULDING MACHINES James Spencer Pincott, Lidcombe, near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Appiication October 8, 1951, Serial No. 250,319

Claims priority, application Australia November 2, 1950 4 Claims. (Cl. 22--57) This invention relates to machines for moulding battery plate grids in a continuous operation. These machines mould the gridswhich are made of lead or a like metal-shear the riser or excess metal off the top, the splash ends off the bottom and stack the grids.

The invention has been devised to provide means to automatically stop the flow of metal to the mould in the event of an obstruction preventing the mould closing. An obstruction could be caused, for example, by a splash of lead on the mould face or by a grid from a preceding moulding operation sticking in the mould. The contraction of the metal of such a grid is sufficient to cause the grid to stick in the mould if the ejector mechanism is not functioning correctly.

Another feature of the invention is the accessibility of the mould.

The machine includes a mould in two parts, one of which is stationary and the other part reciprocatable. The mould receives a pour from the top and the grids are moulded in a vertical plane. Means are incorporated to (a) reciprocate the movable mould part; (b) operate a molten metal supply device which will deliver sufiicient metal to the mould for one charge on each operation of the mould; (c) operate an ejector in the stationary mould part; (:1) operate a grid catcher; (e) operate a grid conveyor; (f) operate a guillotine to shear excess metal from the top and bottom of the grid. Means are included to stop the flow of metal to the mould in the event that the movable mould part fails to close properly onto the stationary mould part.

The invention is described in detail with reference to the annexed drawings wherein Figs. 1 and 2 are perspective views of the front and rear of a grid moulding machine; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the mould and mould actuating and molten metal supply control gear; Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional details of the switch gear; Fig. 6 is a'sectional detail on plane 66 of Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a sectional detail on plane 7-7 of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a circuit diagram.

As illustrated the base of the machine is two vertical side frames 10 joined by end members 11. A bell crank having limbs 12 and 13 is mounted in hearings on the outside of each frame. Each limb 12 has a roller 14 thereon and it is held by a spring 15 in engagement with a cam 16 on a transverse shaft 17. There is a cam for each bell crank. The shaft 17 is the main drive shaft and it is connected through gears 18 and chains 19 to a motor 2% on top of the machine. The limbs 13 of the bell cranks are joined by a round bar 21 and connecting rods 22 rotatably mounted thereon pass through a crosshead 23. Springs 24 are compressed between the crosshead and nuts on the ends of the connecting rods to provide a resilient mounting which prevents damage to the machine in the event that the movable mould part is prevented from closing.

Slide guides 25 fixed to transverse frame member 26 support a carrier 27 on which the movable mould part 28 is mounted. The stationary mould part 29 is fixed 2,713,704 Patented July 26, 1955 to the transverse frame member 26. A U-shaped bridle 30 connected to the crosshead 23 passes outside the mould parts and the back of the U is adapted to take in catch slots 31 in brackets 32 fixed to the carrier 27. It is retained in position by spring held balls 33. The movable mould part 28 with the carrier 27 can be removed by releasing the bridle 30 from the catch slots 31 and then by sliding off the ends of the slide guides 25. The movable mould part 28 is reciprocated in a horizontal plane by the mechanism described above.

Ejector pins are mounted on a plate reciprocatable in relation to the frame 26. The pins pass through holes in the frame 26 and the stationary mould part 29. Springs which may be mounted on the pins thrust the ejector pin plate away'from the frame 26 and the pins from ejecting position. These parts are of conventional construction and are not illustrated. The pins are moved to ejector position by pins 34 mounted on the crosshead 23. These pins 34 press against the ejector pin plate as the crosshead moves the movable mould part to open position.

A grid catcher consisting of an angle member 35 mounted on rods 36 slidable vertically in brackets 37 fixed to one end member 11 is reciprocated vertically by rod 38 fixed to actuating gear indicated generally by the reference 39. The grid catcher is timed to travel up between the mould parts when opened and to take under side lugs on a grid as it is ejected from the stationary mould part. The grid catcher then travels down again clear of the mould parts which then close.

Below the mould there is an endless conveyor of two side chains 40 which travel towards the other end of the machine. The chains have forked brackets 41 thereon, positioned in spaced relationship. The conveyor moves in register with the grid catcher and the brackets lift'the grid by the lugs off the grid catcher and carry it to a guillotine guide at the end of the conveyor, where the brackets 41, on turning, deposit the grid on locating pins in the guillotine assembly.

The guillotine and its guide is positioned at an oblique angle so that the grids lie against the guide. There are top and bottom shear bars in the guillotine which are actuated to shear surplus metal from the top and bottom of the grid. On completion of this operation the locating pins are withdrawn and permit the grid to slide onto bars, which take under the lugs. The bars slope downwardly and as the grids are completed they slide down these bars to a packing position. The guillotine and its associated parts are of conventional construction and therefore are omitted from the drawmgs.

A crucible 42 for melting metal and a heating unit therefor is associated with the machine. There is a pump in the crucible consisting of a plunger 43 in an open top barrel 44. The barrel is also open at the bottom to a pump chamber 45 which in turn has a valve port opening to a delivery chamber 46 from which pipe 47 leads to the mould inlet head 48. The plunger 43 has a plunger rod 49 projecting through the top of the crucible. The plunger rod 49 is suspended by a spring 50 from a U bracket 51 mounted on top of the crucible. The plunger rod 49 has a crosshead 52 to which one end of lever 53 is pivoted. This lever is fulcrumed in bracket 54 mounted on top of the crucible. A lug on this bracket holds an adjusting screw which limits the movement of the lever and consequently the stroke of the pump plunger. This adjustment enables the quantity of molten metal delivered on each stroke of the pump to be varied. The other end of the lever 53 has a head adapted to register with vertically movable rod 55 slidable in bracket 56 on the adjacent side frame 10. The head can be moved clear of said rod 55. The rod 55 is thrust upwardly to push the plunger rod 49 down by cam 57 on shaft 59. The plunger rod is pulled upwardly by the spring 50.

A delivery valve 59 is held on the valve port in the pump chamber by a spring 60 connected to the U bracket 51.

The pump chamber 45 also has an inlet valve 61 connected by spring to the U bracket 51. A bell crank pivoted to bracket 63 on the U bracket 51 has one limb 64 bearing on top of the stem of inlet valve 61. The other limb 65 is juxtaposed a solenoid 66 mounted on the bracket 63 and is adapted to be attracted to the solenoid. When so attracted the bell crank opens the inlet valve 61 and when so opened the pump simply circulates metal therethrough, the delivery valve 59 remaining closed. When the inlet valve 61 is closed the pump discharges a predetermined quantity of metal, sufficient for one moulding operation, through the pipe 47 to the mould inlet head 48 both of said parts being heated, as for example, by flame from the gas pipe 67.

The moulds are heatedpreferably by gas jetsand a liquid is circulated through the moulds to maintain a uniform temperature which is controlled by a thermostat.

Slidably mounted and spring held in blocks on the machine are a pair of switch rods 68, one on each side of the machine. Each rod 68 is juxtaposed a microswitch 69 housed in a bracket 70 pivotally mounted on the machine. The position of each bracket is adjusted-for various thicknesses of moulds by a spring held pin 71 in a cap 72 screwed onto a block 73 mounted on the machine. A spring is incorporated in the bracket mounting to hold the bracket against the pin 71.

When the mould closes buffer plates 74 on the crosshead 23 move the switch rods 68 to break the switch contacts whereupon the solenoid 66 is de-energised and the valve 61 is closed by its spring. The plunger 43 then forces a charge of metal through the valve 59 and into the mould. As soon as the mould opens, the switch contacts close and the solenoid 66 is reenergised thus opening the valve 61 again. If the mould parts do not register correctly the switches do not operate and the pump inlet valve is kept open. Consequently the pump cannot operate. A Vernier adjustment is incorporated with the microswitches.

I claim:

1. In a plate grid moulding machine having a mould with an inlet, means to open and close the mould, a crucible for molten metal connected by a conduit to said mould inlet, pump means mounted in the crucible to feed molten metal through said conduit to the mould, comprising, a barrel, a plunger in the barrel, a pump chamber open to said barrel and having an inlet from a molten metal supply and an outlet in connection with said conduit feed to the mould, valves adapted to seat on said inlet and outlet, a solenoid operatively connected to said inlet valve, means actuated by the movement of the mould to energize said solenoid to hold said inlet valve open and stop the flow of metal to the mould in the event of an obstruction preventing the mould closing, and means synchronized with the mould actuating means to actuate said plunger and means to eject a plate grid formed in the mould.

2. In a battery plate grid moulding machine having means to stop the flow of metal to the mould as claimed in claim 1, including a microswitch adjustably mounted on the machine and in an electric circuit with the solenoid, and means associated with the movable mould part to break the circuit through said microswitch when the mould is closed.

3. In a battery plate grid moulding machine having a microswitch in a circuit as claimed in claim 2, said microswitch being positioned on one side of the machine and having a second microswitch in the same circuit positioned on the other side of the machine.

4. In a battery plate grid moulding machine including a mould and means for opening and closing the mould, and means for feeding molten metal to the mould, said means comprising, a crucible filled with molten metal, means forming a substantially rectangular pump chamber submerged in the molten metal in the crucible including an inlet port in its top wall and an outlet port in its bottom wall leading to a delivery chamber, and also including a medially located barrel on the top wall, a pipe leading from the delivery chamber to the mould, a frame on the crucible, a plunger in the barrel spring suspended from the frame, a lever fulcrumed on the top of the crucible and having one end engaging the plunger and its other end engaged with actuating means synchronized with the said means for opening and closing the mould, a delivery valve for said outlet port with an elongated stern, a spring connected to said stem and suspended from the frame, an inlet valve for the inlet port of the chamber and also having an elongated stem and a spring connected to the stem and suspended from the frame, said springs normally holding said valves closed, and a bell crank lever supported on the frame and having the end of one arm bearing on top of the stem of the inlet valve and the other arm serving as an armature responsive to a solenoid mounted on the frame, said solenoid when energized rocking the bell crank lever to elongate said spring to open the inlet valve, to thereby admit a charge of molten metal from the crucible to the pump chamber and for subsequent discharge under pressure through said outlet valve to the delivery chamber and said mould.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,063,668 Elgi June 3, 1913 1,160,973 Clark Nov. 16, 1915 1,689,698 Tornberg Oct. 30, 1928 1,732,075 Willis Oct. 15, 1929 1,811,143 Lund June 23, 1931 2,068,420 Lockwood et al Jan. 19, 1937 2,188,276 Davis Jan. 23, 1940 2,224,977 Morin Dec. 17, 1940 2,278,815 Winkel Apr. 7, 1942 2,533,035 Morin Dec. 5, 1950 2,619,694 Tornberg et al Dec. 2, 1952 

